If Music Be The Food Of Love
by ellyrocks99
Summary: Jane has a new customer in her store


**Rating: M**

 **Pairing: Lokane**

 **One-shot**

* * *

Jane printed out the final address labels and stuck them onto the packages in front of her. The quantity of parcels was large today and it had been a good morning for online sales. She was feeling pretty pleased with herself. She had always loved classical music, she was proud of her shop and her website. The shop barely made any money but she kept it as she felt it was important to stay connected to her customers as she had many who made regular trips to the store. It was a small but well stocked shop with shelves so high that she couldn't reach them without a step ladder. It was just as she had imagined a shop to be when she was a child and she loved it here. She usually spent the mornings processing online orders, stopping to chat when customers came in, and spent the afternoons cleaning and tidying the shop. It was a routine that she treasured.

By the window were two easy chairs and some magazines on a coffee table. Sometimes a customer would stay and listen to whatever music she had on, or strike up a conversation with her. It didn't have to be about music but it usually was. She had stopped regularly playing violin years ago but the music had never stopped. Listening to Beethoven, Mozart, or Rachmaninov always gave her pleasure and she was happy to discuss the latest recordings with whoever came in.

Most of her customers were regular people, eager to quietly browse her stock. Most of them bought something each time they visited. There really weren't any surprises coming through her door, after all, it was clear from the shop front that she sold classical CDs so no one ever came in by accident.

The shop bell rang and she looked up from the counter. A tall, pale man, with dark hair down to his shoulders had entered her shop and was looking around disdainfully. Jane hoped for a moment that he was in the wrong shop but he didn't leave. Instead he started to browse the shelves by the door and as she was one never to back down from anything she walked up to him.

'Can I help you?'

The man looked down his nose at her before looking away as he spoke.

'I was told that you might have the Queyras Bach Cello Suites in stock. It appears that my local shop has decided to reduce its stock of classical CDs.'

He sounded cross and bored at the same time. Ever the professional, she ignored his tone and answered his question.

'Yes, I believe so. It's a very popular recording with my customers.' She walked over to the B section and pulled it out.

'We also have a few other recordings of the Cello Suites. I can play them on the CD player if you want to listen?'

As she handed the CD to him, the man looked at her with interest. He asked, 'Do you have the Isserlis recording?'

Jane turned to find it, as he continued speaking.

'I would very much like to hear it if you do.'

Jane found the additional CD and walked to the counter to put the CD into the player.

'You can sit in the chairs by the window if you wish?' Jane said.

'Thank you,' said the man, without moving. As the music started and the familiar strains of the Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No.1 filled the shop, he spoke again.

'I apologise for my manner when I entered. I was irritated to discover that my usual music shop has considerably reduced its stock of CDs and has started selling more chart music.'

He pulled a face at this. Jane kept a straight face, despite the fact that she loved pop music as much as classical music. She was used to a certain amount of musical snobbery – all musicians think that their preferences are the best, so she didn't take it personally.

As the man still hadn't moved she sat on her stool behind the counter and tried to strike up a conversation.

'So, what music do you like? Apart from Bach?'

'Well, I play the cello myself, so the Elgar Concerto, of course, and the Dvorak. I'm partial to the Shostakovich too.'

Jane pressed him. 'So, just classical music, then? No other genre? You don't enjoy dancing to pop songs, or going clubbing, or listening to Frank Sinatra?'

The man actually wrinkled his nose and frowned, which Jane found rather cute, before replying.

'I don't mind Sinatra. But I'm not really keen on most modern music.' He suddenly stood more upright. 'I'm afraid that I'm still being terribly rude. My name is Loki.'

He held out his hand to Jane who reached forward to shake it. His hand was large and warm, and his handshake firm.

'I'm Jane,' she replied, 'and this is my shop. I'm surprised I haven't seen you before if you like buying classical music.'

Loki had shrugged. 'There is a place nearer to me that I visit, but as I said, I have been very disappointed by their decision to sell fewer classical CDs. You might see more of me now that I know you are here.'

They made small talk for some time before Loki bought the two Bach CDs and left. Jane reflected afterwards on her new customer. Loki was attractive, that was for sure, and very intelligent. She wondered if he would return or if that would be the last she would ever see of him. She felt disappointed at the thought of not seeing him again. She had enjoyed their conversation and it was a welcome distraction.

She needn't have worried. After his first visit Loki became a regular customer, coming into the shop at least once a week and usually, but not always, buying something. She enjoyed their conversations although she sometimes found him quite intense and serious. They would talk about classical music but Jane also tried to get him to admit that he would listen to other music too. They also talked about books and about business. Loki seemed genuinely interested in her work running the online store as well as the shop.

Loki had confessed to her once that he had never recorded his cello playing so Jane had also started trying to persuade him to do this. She was fascinated to know what Loki's playing would sound like and if it would reveal more of the man who was still so private and cautious with her.

It was a usual quiet weekday, and with the post ready to go, Jane took a break and picked up a magazine. She sat on the stool behind the till, absorbed in her reading until she heard the shop bell ring. She looked up and raised her eyebrows at the sight of her visitor. Loki had been in only a couple of days before and it was unlike him to return so quickly. She wondered what this meant.

He sauntered towards the counter and reached into his bag as he neared. He took out a CD and placed it on the counter in front of her.

'Hi Loki,' she said, putting her magazine down. Loki was frowning and avoiding her gaze which put her on her guard. He also looked a bit uncomfortable and Jane couldn't work out why.

'Jane,' he replied, his bored tone at odds with his body language. She wondered just what was on the CD he had put on the counter.

He continued. 'Will you play this in your shop? It's just something I recorded last night. There's no one else here anyway.'

She wasn't supposed to play anything that she didn't stock – licencing laws and all that. She knew she could say 'no' to Loki for this reason, and he was probably expecting her to say no anyway, but she hesitated. There was something about his manner that made her wonder what was going on.

She put down her magazine and looked at him. 'You know I'm not licenced to play anything I'm not selling. What's on it?'

'Oh, it's not much,' replied Loki. 'I was bored last night so I recorded myself playing some Bach. It's not at as high a standard as I would like but it's a start.'

This was said without feeling but Loki was still avoiding her eyes. Jane was surprised that Loki had acquiesced to her requests to record his playing. She had never expected him to actually do it.

Loki was right about one thing, there was no one else in the shop so Jane picked up the CD and hopped off her stool to put it into her CD player.

'I'll have to stop it if anyone comes in.'

Loki nodded in agreement but remained silent.

Jane continued, 'Why don't we sit in the window while we listen?' And without checking that Loki was following, she walked to the easy chairs and sat down. The sound of Bach's Prelude from the first Cello Suite started to play over the speakers, the cello sounding sweet and lyrical to her ears. Loki sat down awkwardly in the chair next to her, his posture remaining tense. They remained silent as the cello continued its beautiful playing.

Jane didn't look at Loki but let the music sweep over her. Loki's playing continued over the speakers, building up, gaining height, increasing in passion and intensity. As Jane listened she felt a shiver go through her as the music touched her. She felt herself get lost in its emotion and power. It was a masterful performance of one of her favourite pieces.

The composition reached its final few bars, the music slowing into the last cadence. Jane let out a deep breath and finally looked at Loki. With a shock she realised that he was staring at her and most likely had been for the entire piece. He looked at her so intensely that she couldn't look away. His eyes were dark pools seeing right into her core. She felt dizzy and tried to take a deep breath but it stuck in her throat.

Loki leaned towards her, his tall form easily leaning over the arms of the chairs. He reached out and put his hand on her face. It felt warm against her skin and she turned her face into his hand.

Still keeping their eyes on each other, it seemed to Jane that they instinctively moved together until they were only a few centimetres apart. She could feel his breath on her mouth and it made her heady. They stayed in that position for a few moments before Jane moved forward and pushed her mouth against his. She closed her eyes and moved her lips gently, encouraging him to do the same. After a second, Loki reciprocated and they spent a few, languid minutes exploring each other's mouths.

The music had created an emotion in her that had pooled in her core and now their kisses were fuelling that feeling and making her want more. More of Loki's mouth and hands, more of Loki in every way.

She pulled away from Loki's mouth and stood up. Before Loki could react, she took his arm and encouraged him to stand up. Loki looked enquiringly at her so she turned to lock the shop door and turned the sign to 'Closed'.

Loki smiled at her and nodded, as if speaking would break the spell that had taken hold. Jane took his hand and they walked past the counter to the small stock room that she had at the back of the shop. The walk seemed to take an age but Jane refused to think too hard about what she was about to do. Once inside, Jane shut the door and gently pushed Loki up against it. She rubbed her hands up and down his chest, enjoying the feel of him.

Loki put his hands on her hips and bent down to kiss her. As they kissed deeply, Jane moved her hands up and ran her fingers through Loki's hair, holding his head against hers, as Loki held her hips firmly against his. Jane couldn't get enough of him, couldn't get enough of the feeling that was inside her, couldn't get enough of her desire for Loki.

As the intensity grew, their kisses became harder and messier. Loki was now holding her hips hard against his and they were rubbing against each other. Jane had her fingers so tangled into Loki's hair that she wasn't sure if she could get them out if she'd wanted to. And she didn't want to, she wanted to stay there in that moment, plundering Loki's mouth for all that it could give her and more.

Jane didn't want to stop but she also wanted more. She pulled away and breathed, 'can we?'

Loki looked wrecked and she wondered how she must look. Probably a hot mess but she couldn't have cared less right now and frankly, Loki looked stunning with that look of desire on his face. She would be happy to see that more often in the future.

At her words, Loki's face fell. 'I don't have any…' he tailed off, looking devastated.

Jane moved away and Loki's hands tried to pull her back. 'I'm sorry,' he whispered. Jane laughed.

'Don't worry, I have. Just let me grab it.' She grabbed her bag and took a condom out of one of the side pockets. She laughed again at the look of relief on Loki's face. She pulled him down to kiss him firmly before saying,

'Don't look too relieved. I still haven't figured out how we're going to have sex in here.'

'I can help with that,' said Loki, looking delighted now that they could continue with their activities. He looked around until he saw her foot stool that she used to reach the higher shelves. It wasn't very high as she didn't have shelves up to the ceiling in this room.

'This will be perfect,' he stated and placed it against the back of the stock room door. He then took her hand and helped her up onto the stool so that her back was against the exit. As he stood in front of her they were now the same height and he put his hands against the door on either side of her. Jane was left breathless at having his face so close to hers, his eyes looking straight into hers.

She smiled slightly and raised her hands to his face. Now they were a similar height she could trace her fingers over his cheek bones, over his brow, over his lips. Loki had closed his eyes and was breathing through his nose. He moved his face into her hands and opened his eyes again. If Jane thought he had desired her before, that was nothing compared to now. His eyes were dark pools and she was drowning in them.

Loki moved forward and kissed her hard. Jane opened her mouth to let him in and they continued their battle for taking as much as they could from each other. Loki was massaging her breasts through her top and Jane was moving her hands over his shoulders and his back, trying to feel every part of him that she could reach.

As they moved against each other, it became apparent that they both wanted to escalate the situation. Jane moved her hands down between them, pushing Loki's hands out of the way. She reached for his trouser button and undid it in a moment. Next, the zip went down, and Loki pushed his trousers to his knees before surging back up and taking her lips in another intense kiss.

Jane undid her jeans and started to push them down but Loki moved her hands out of the way. He knelt down and pulled her jeans down to her ankles. Once they became stuck at her trainers, he pulled those off too before taking her jeans off and placing open mouthed kisses on her thighs, working from the outside inwards. When he reached between her legs, Jane carded her hands into his hair while he pulled her knickers down and slowly licked at her centre.

Jane shuddered at the sensation. She spread her legs further apart and Loki took advantage of the increased access to work his tongue in deeper. As he did this, he continued to pull her knickers down until all Jane had to do was pick up each foot one at a time to take them off. Once the knickers were off, Loki moved his hands up to lift her bottom away from the wall, and closer to his mouth which was continuing to work hard at making her come.

Jane didn't want to finish this way, she wanted Loki inside her. 'Loki,' she insisted, while pulling gently on his hair. 'Loki, inside me, please,' she pleaded.

He stopped and looked up at her. She had honestly never seen anything so hot as Loki on his knees in front of her, full of desire for her.

She held out the condom and Loki took off his pants before taking it from her. He made quick work of the wrapper and deftly rolled the covering onto his penis. It was the first time that Jane had seen his member and it was definitely larger than average. Jane was glad that Loki had spent some time going down on her and getting her warmed up.

He stood in front of her and Jane put her arms around his neck. Loki reached down to guide himself inside of her and Jane lifted herself onto her toes to help. Once she felt him start to enter her, she lowered herself back down and Loki moved his hands so that they were on her hips.

He continued to enter her slowly and Jane enjoyed the feeling of being filled. Once fully in, they locked eyes and Jane felt giddy with excitement. She smiled and Loki smiled back before he slowly moved his hips out then back in. The movement caused Jane to breathe in sharply as she revelled in the sensation. She couldn't take her eyes from Loki's. Every feeling, every reaction was laid bare to him as he moved inside of her.

He started to speed up and they broke their gaze. Loki lowered his face into her shoulder and Jane held fast around his neck while moving her hips in time with his. Jane could hear and feel Loki's breathing, fast and broken against her shoulder. She was struggling to contain the intensity that was building up inside of her and felt like it would never end.

All at once, it broke over her like a wave, the building crescendo reaching its peak at the final cadence and overwhelming her with its force. She couldn't breathe or move until the wonderful moment passed and then the calm was restored once more.

Loki continued his movements but was losing his perfect rhythm as he neared his own climax. Jane felt him kiss her neck wetly before groaning and slowing his hips. A few more thrusts and he stopped, breathing heavily against her. Jane started to stroke his back and his neck as her heart rate started to return to normal.

After a few moments, Loki lifted up his head and placed a firm, long kiss against her mouth. It was a kiss filled with affection and thankfulness. He pulled slowly out of her started to stand back but had clearly forgotten than his trousers were still around his ankles and nearly fell backwards. Jane, for her part, almost fell over without Loki's body holding her up. They stopped moving to hold onto each other a little longer and laughed at their attempts to separate.

'I don't think I can stand up without you,' said Jane, smiling sheepishly. 'That was so good that I've lost the use of my legs!'

Loki laughed, 'That is the best compliment you could give me. I think I might need a moment to recover as well.'

She gave him a kiss which turned into a few minutes of slow kisses. Eventually, Jane gently pushed him away. 'I think I can stand now. We should get dressed.'

Loki moved his body from hers but Jane was touched that he kept his hands on her to check that she was ok. Once he saw that she was alright, Loki bent to pick up her knickers and handed them to her with a smirk. She rolled her eyes as she took them and stepped off the stool to get dressed.

Loki dressed quickly and threw the used condom into the bin in the corner. Once they were both ready, Jane put her arms around his middle, and he hugged her back.

'I have to open up the shop again now, but can you stay?' She really wanted Loki to stick around. Had he enjoyed this as much as her? Would she see him again?

Loki leant down and gave her a peck on the lips. 'I would love to stay but I have an appointment I can't miss.'

Jane felt disappointment run through her.

'But,' Loki continued, 'I could come back when you close? Maybe take you out for dinner? If that's not too soon?'

He looked at her, hopeful but uncertain. Jane grinned and did a small jump up to kiss him.

'Yes! Yes, come back. I should be done by six. Is that a good time?'

'Perfect. I will return for you at six.'

Jane peeked through the storage room door, slightly apprehensive that someone might be waiting at the main shop door for her. It wouldn't be the first time she had had to shut the shop while she ran an errand and her customers usually waited as they knew she'd be back soon.

There was no one there so Jane and Loki emerged holding hands. Loki gave her one last lingering kiss before letting go of her hand and walking towards the door.

'Wait!' cried Jane, 'don't you want to take your CD?' She started to open the CD player to remove the disc. It was hard to believe that such a simple thing as a piece of music had had such a profound effect on her day.

Loki opened the shop door and turned back to her.

'It's for you, my Jane. I made it for you.' And with that he blew her a kiss and left, leaving Jane wishing that the next few hours would fly by as time never had done before.


End file.
